New Mexico in the Civil War

by Oliver James Stevens

Civil War battles occurred in New Mexico that were little noted in the "States" (New Mexico was then a Territory). In the view of many historians, however, these battles were important in preserving the Union because they ended the attempt by the Confederacy to capture the West (New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado), its people, and its vast resources. Two of these battles were at Valverde, about 29 miles south of Socorro, and at Glorieta, a few miles east of Santa Fe.

The poignant nature of the Civil War was particularly relevant here: the two commanding officers of the New Mexico battles, Col. Sibley of the Confederate Army, and Col. Canby of the Union army, had campaigned together in earlier battles and there were even rumors (untrue, as it turns out) that he and Sibley were brothers-in-law.

Much has been written about these battles, the leaders, tactics and results, but too little about the individuals; the foot soldiers and volunteers who fought the battles and, for many of us, our ancestors.

F. Stanley, in his book The Civil War in New Mexico¹ provides a list of New Mexico Volunteers who were enrolled during the four years of the war. The list includes more than four thousand names of New Mexicans who put aside their daily lives to volunteer for service in the Union forces. Stanley derived his list from the service records of the volunteers, on microfilm in the National Archives.²

Charles Meketa³ provides examples of the service and sacrifice by New Mexico natives. Of the troops fighting at Valverde, the one suffering the second highest number of casualties was Captain Santiago Hubbell's Company B, 5th New Mexico Infantry Volunteers.⁴ That company was in the front lines at Valverde, defending the battery of Captain Alexander McRae. From a company of 74 men, 39 (53% of the total company) were killed, wounded, or missing in action.

Those names are spelled here as Meketa found them written in the records.

Jose Clemente ALARIA, musician, killed
Ramon ALARIA, Pvt., missing
Charles BENSINGER, Pvt., killed
Pablo CANDALARIO, Pvt., killed
Ramon CHAVEZ, Pvt., missing
Ramon CANDALARIO, Pvt., killed
Espamino CHAVEZ, Pvt., missing
Mauricio CHAVES, Pvt., killed
Mauricio CHAVEZ, Pvt., missing
Rubio CRUZ, Pvt., wounded
Marcilina DURAN, Pvt., killed
Juan GARCIA, Pvt., killed
Nasario GARCIA, Pvt., killed
Basilio GONSALES, Pvt., killed
Rumaldo GRIEGO, Pvt., killed
Jose Maria GURRERA, Pvt., missing
Guadalupe LOPES, Pvt., killed
Diego LUCERO, Corp., killed
Jose de la Lus LUCERO, Pvt., killed
Jesus MARCUS, Pvt., wounded
Basillo MARTIN, Pvt., wounded
Juan CHAVEZ MEXICANNA, Pvt., killed
Antonio MONTOYA, Pvt., wounded
Victoriano MONTOYA, Pvt., wounded
Pedro PADILLO, Pvt., killed
Juan PAIS, Pvt., wounded
Jose PERALTO, Corp., missing
Salvador RIAL, Pvt., missing
Ramon RIVAL, Pvt., wounded
Gomesindo RIVERA, Pvt., killed
Benino SANCHES, Pvt., killed
Clemente SANCHES, Pvt., wounded
Jose SANCHES, Pvt., wounded
Ygnacio SANDOVAL, Pvt., missing
Jose de Jesus TAPIO, Pvt., killed
Manual TRUGILLO, Pvt., wounded
Felipe TURRIETE, Pvt., wounded
Pablo ZUNI, Pvt., killed

Meketa's research directs our attention to evidence that slanted reports were sent to Washington in order to shift blame for the Union loss at the Battle of Valverde. "Castigated for their role in the Battle of Valverde were the two companies of New Mexicans which formed part of the support for McRae's battery those of Captains Santiago Hubbell and William Mortimore. Captain P.W.L. Plymptom, a regular army officer, sent in a report to explain that his battalion had failed to save the guns from the Confederate charge because . . . a body of Volunteers (Mexican) . . . broke from their position . . . This accusation was subsequently repeated by Col. Canby in his official report to Washington. For many, Canby's report supplied an easy, pat explanation . . . no one asked obvious questions such as why volunteer troops . . . would have been placed in the front line by Captain Plymptom, . . . [and] what sort of casualty rate the two companies suffered during the action."⁵

Other resources for the Civil War in New Mexico include:

Kerby, Robert Lee, The Confederate Invasion of New Mexico and Arizona 1861-1862. Tucson: Westernlore Press, 1981.
Rittenhouse, Jack D., New Mexico Civil War Bibliography. Houston: Stagecoach Press, 1961.
U.S. Government, Official Records, the War of the Rebellion. 128 volumes. New Mexico action is in Series I, Vols. 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 13, 15, 22, 26, 34, 41, 48 and 50.

Howard W. Henry,⁶ in reading Albuquerque newspapers of 1893, found a letter from a Confederate veteran, followed by one from a Union veteran. Each stated his own perception of the Battle at Valverde. Henry says, "This is probably the first time this material has been presented to historians of the Civil War, as I am sure not much research has been done in these old newspapers." It is obvious that differing views (and facts) are offered by the two veterans, and historians will certainly refute some of the facts stated by each man. Dates and locations were stated from memory and are occasionally inaccurate. Nevertheless, the letters give a view of the war not previously reported.

Albuquerque Evening (Daily) Citizen, June 14, 1893

"In the States [a New Orleans newspaper] of Thursday appeared an inquiry from a reader asking for information regarding the battles of Valverde and Glorietta, N.M. The information given was very meagre [sic], as the official records do not give the Confederate participants, nor the result of the battles. Mr. L. H. Kaufman, of No. 13 Chartres street, was a member of the second Texas cavalry and was in the battles mentioned, and gives the following account of the engagements:"

"In February, 1861, Col. John R. Baylor organized the Fourth regiment of Texas cavalry and with a battalion of six companies marched from San Antonio to El Paso, Texas, capturing the forts on the line of march which had been vacated by the Union troops. The forts taken were: Fort Clark, Fort Stockton, Fort Davis, Fort Bliss and Camp Hutchinson. From there the battalion proceeded to New Mexico and captured Fort Fillmore."

"At Fort Fillmore Col. Baylor halted and waited for Sibley's brigade, which had been organized and was on the way to join his battalion. The brigade consisted of the First regiment commanded by Col. Scurry, the Second brigade commanded by Col. Green, and the Third brigade commanded by Col. Bugsby. The command was also strengthened at this point by the addition of a company of Texans organized by and under the leadership of Captain Capewood."

"The Federal troops in this section of the country at this time were those who had been stationed at Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Fort Union and Fort Craig, or Valverde, and they were all concentrated at the latter place, having evacuated the above forts when the hostilities were opened. The troops of Fort Craig were under the command of Col. E. R. S. Canby. In addition to the regular United States troops was a company of mountaineers, under the command of

THE DAUNTLESS KIT CARSON

After resting for a time at Fort Fillmore, the Confederate cavalry moved upon Fort Craig. Upon the arrival of the troops at the Rio Grande river, the officers found that it would be impossible to cross the river in the vicinity of the fort, as the soldiers stationed there would have an opportunity of offering resistance without placing themselves in any danger."

"The troops then skirmished around the vicinity of the fort and endeavored to draw the soldiers out, but they refused to fight and a flank movement was executed by the Confederates at night by which they crossed the river below the fort and marched upon one of the hills, where they encamped. In the morning the federal sentries in the fort discovered the camping place of the enemy, but on account of the secure position occupied could not attack or dislodge them. The Confederates marched all day over the stony hills and endeavored to get to the river, but could not succeed on account of the opposition offered by the Union troops."

"That night Col. Sibley camped his men a little back from the reach of the federal batteries and the next morning again marched his men towards the river. This time he found the enemy ready to receive them, as they had constructed entrenchments and thrown up earthworks during the night. The river was the objective point for the Confederates, as the troops had to reach the water. Col. Sibley saw that it would be impossible to accomplish his purpose without fighting, and he ordered his men to

CHARGE ON THE ENTRENCHED FEDERALS

Under the hot fire of the attacking party the Unionists had to retreat, and they crossed the river on pontoon bridges. As it was impossible for Col. Sibley to pursue them he took his men back and made camp for the night. During the night the Federals returned to the same side of the river as the fort and their presence was discovered the next morning by Col. Green, who charged upon them with his regiment and captured their batteries, completely routing them. At this point the entire column moved forward, and the Federals were literally slaughtered. Some of them endeavored to recross the river, and were shot in the water by the Confederate sharp shooters on the shore. The loss sustained by the Confederates during the engagement was 150 wounded, none killed; Unionists, 82 killed, 140 wounded. This battle was fought on the afternoon of February 21st and the morning of the 22d, 1861 [1862]. The battle of Glorietta, or Apache Cañon, as it is more generally called, took place on the 24th of March of the same year."

"The Confederates, under the command of Col. Green, marched to Fort Union, and on the line of march captured the forts at Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Just before reaching Fort Union, in what is known as Apache Cañon, they were attacked by the troops from Fort Union, reinforced with several companies of Colorado volunteers. The noise of the battle was heard by Col. Scurry at Santa (sic), and he immediately issued marching orders for his regiment and went to the assistance of Col. Green. When Green's men heard of the approach of soldiers from Santa Fe they made one grand charge, dislodged the Union troops and put them to flight. Casualties in this battle were: Union, 40 killed, 120 wounded; Confederates, 36 killed, 60 wounded, 93 missing."

"The Confederates, after their victories, remained in the vicinity for about six weeks, and failing to find means for subsistance (sic) they retreated to Fort Bliss. The Federals were watching them and when they began to fall back they communicated with the troops stationed at Fort Craig, and they confidently expected to be able to get them between the Fort Craig batteries in the rear and the Fort Union troops in the front, where escape would be impossible. Col. Sibley became aware of this plan of action, and on the second night of the retreat the Confederates camped near Fort Craig, with the troops stationed there on one side of them and the troops from Fort Union on the other. It was impossible to pass Fort Craig without being detected, and to remain in the position meant a slaughter of his troops when the Federals attacked so Col. Sibley obtained a guide and abandoned all of his wagons and traveled through the mountains all night, when the guide brought them out several miles below Fort Craig, and by ten o'clock in the morning they had reached the Rio Grande without being molested. From there they proceeded to San Antonio . . . [then] assigned to duty in different parts of the South."

A few days later, on Saturday, June 17th, 1893, another unsigned letter to the editor appeared under the headlines of "Battles in New Mexico", "Reply to Confederate Version of Sibley Raid", "Sketch of the Valverde Fight by One of the Participants", and "Interesting war reminiscences". It is datelined from Los Lunas, the home ground of several prominent Spanish gentlemen who were in the Union service.

Los Lunas, N.M., June 16, '93

Editor Daily Citizen.
I read an article in your valued paper headed "Battles in New Mexico," which I very much doubt whether any of the surviving participants would recognize, or in fact whether they would not be themselves convinced that during those troublous times they were in a state of somnolency or in the spirit world.

Having had the honor of being a soldier in the Union army of the volunteer force, I will attempt from memory to give you an account of the battle of Valverde, which I venture will be pronounced correct, strictly so, except probably as to the exact date of occurrence.

[The soldier then describes how the Confederate troops moved north after capturing Fort Fillmore, and engaged the Union forces in several skirmishes near Fort Craig. The main battle developed when the Confederates on the east side of the Rio Grande attempted to cross at Valverde.]

. . . The bulk of the Confederate troops as soon as it became dark [marched] north in order to make the river at the place known as Valverde, leaving a command of about 500 men under the command, as we were informed, of Major Lock-ridge, to watch our movements. On the next morning, which I believe was the 22d of February, three companies of the Third United States Cavalry, and about as many more of Col. Valdez's regiment under the immediate command of Major Luis M. Baca, now a resident of Socorro, the whole command of Col. Benjamin S. Roberts, were ordered to proceed north on the west side of the river, and prevent the Confederate troops from getting down to water at the river at the place known as Valverde, opposite the present site of San Marcial. The moment that our troops reached the place, they were greeted with cannonading from the Confederate troops which were already at the river on the Valverde side, and our troops unlimbered their guns at once and both sides cannonaded each other until it was evident to Col. Roberts that the Confederate troops had been driven toward the bluffs away from the river. He then crossed his command to the east side of the river, and sent for reinforcements to the fort, and at 8 a.m. Carson's regiment was ordered to recross the river from the eastern bluffs where they had passed the night, and proceed after fully supplying themselves with ammunition to the battle field and to report to Col. Roberts for orders; which was done, the regiment arriving at the scene of battle about ten o'clock a.m. Col. Roberts ordered that the regiment be held in readiness for orders, and it was kept in line of battle parallel to the river on its west bank. Soon thereafter a battery of twenty-four pounder howitzers under the command of Lieut. R. M. Hall arrived from the fort, and reported for duty to Col. Roberts, and an order was given to Carson's regiment to furnish 100 volunteers to help cross the battery over the river, and they were furnished, and the battery was duly and safely crossed. Some desultory fighting was going on all that day on the east side of the river, and the Confederate troops were driven up against the bluffs, and kept from reaching the water, and it was the opinion of everybody that it was only a question of a short time when the Confederates would be compelled to sur-render, or that they would be vanquished. During this time the casualties upon the Union side were not to exceed fifteen in all. [Then] about 3 p.m., Col. Canby reached the field of battle and assumed chief command, and the First regiment of New Mexico Volunteers, Col. Carson's, was ordered to cross the river, and take position as the right wing of the line of battle. An advance movement was ordered to be made against the Confederate troops, and they in turn charged the regiment which was supporting Hall's twenty- four pounder battery of howitzers; the charge was successfully repulsed by the First Regiment of New Mexico Volunteers. It was repeated twice, thereafter in succession by the Confederate cavalry, and as many times gallantly and successfully repulsed by the regiment, and the Confederates drive (sic) in confusion to the foot of the sand hills.

About five p.m. the Confederate troops under the cover of trees charged Captain McRae's battery on the left, and captured it, killing the gallant McRae and Lieut. Michler, who gallantly stood by their battery to the last; there-upon a panic appeared to have seized the troops both regular and volunteer who were supporting that battery, and they fled indiscriminately into the river, the Confederates firing into their backs, many of the Union soldiers doubtless but slightly wounded were drowned to the waters of the Rio Grande. Twice upon that same fateful afternoon for the Union troops, orders from the commanding officer were then to the commander of the First New Mexico volunteers on the right to retire across the river, because of the capture of McRae's battery, and the order was disobeyed, because neither the officers nor the soldiers of that regiment believed that they were defeated, and because as against the force that the Confederates had to bring against them, they were confident that they could remain upon that battlefield until dooms-day. But another, and preemptory order was brought by one of the aides de camp, and the regiment was ordered to march off the field left on front to the river, where many of the soldiers of the regiment failed to go into the river in their clothes, and divested themselves of them before taking to the water, and when they had crossed to the east side they formed in column, and marched up the river towards the fort, and were not aware that the union cause had suffered defeat, until fired at by the Confederates with the selfsame guns which they had captured from us [McRae's battery]. The marching of our regiment in retreat from the field of batle in such order drew expressions of encomium from the Confederates in their description of the battle, and of the retreat of the Union troops, by the statement that the federal troops had marched off the field as if upon dress parade, mistakenly believing that our regiment must have been necessarily a regiment of regular troops to have preserved such order under such trying circumstances. It was nevertheless the fact, for the first regiment of New Mexico volunters (sic) was assigned to the support of Hall's battery at the extreme right of the battle field, and they marched off as as (sic) stated and brought over Hall's battery safely, and sunk a small mounted howitzer captured on the field in the river before crossing. I cannot account for the many inaccuracies of M. L. Kauffmann. He speakes of Carson, the 'dauntless,' commanding a company of mountaineers, when he was in command of a full regiment of infantry, being the First New Mexico Cavalry Volunteers and four additional companies attached thereto . . .

We lost the battle, but it is a mooted question, who was responsible party for its loss; the regular officers, who disliked Col. Roberts very much, always stated that he had committed a very grave military mistake in having crossed the river, thereby having a river at his back; but they fail to remember that the Confiderates (sic) had been whipped all the livelong day with less troops than when Col. Canby unfortunately came into the field and took supreme command with the additional re-enforcement of Col. Miguel Pino's Second Regt. of N. M. Vols. Our regiment, Kit Carson's, never believed that they were whipped except because of, and on account of the orders to abandon the field at once, and proceed to the fort given by the commanding officer of the department of New Mexico through his aide de camps, thrice repeated.

The volunteers are firmly of the belief that if Col. Canby had never come on the field, that the Confederate troops would have been defeated, and that at his arrival on the battlefield they were in fact and in truth defeated; and in proof of that they point towards their conduct as described by the Confederates believing them to have been regular troops on account of their orderly and brave conduct in leaving the field. [Italics added.]

Another thing, the Confederates never crossed at night; for while they were actually crossing the river in the vicinity of Paraje, nearly the whole of the regular troops were on top of the houses of the buildings of Fort Craig seeing them cross without molestation, and wondering the reason that the commanding officer did not order troops to annoy them while crossing the river . . . Our loss in the battle as it turned out was very great, and I presume the writer of the article mentioned may be correct in the number; but our loss up to the time that Col. Canby assumed command, and just previous to the capture of Captain McRae's battery was not as great as that of the Confederates, and then the loss was of men retreating under a panic, and crossing a river, and most of them were regular soldiers, who with two companies of New Mexico Volunteers, Captains Mortimer and Hubbell [had been] left of the line and ordered to support McRae's battery.

Mr. Kauffmann's account of the Confederate retreat 'after their victories' is no doubt very entertaining reading for people in New Orleans, who never saw New Mexico, and know nothing of the circumstances of the disastrous retreat of the Confederate troops out of the territory, which, but that they were made of such brave stuff as they were, would have been worse and more calamitous than any retreat recorded in military histories. The fact is that the battle of Glorieta was a victory of the Federals, but they did not know it; the Confederates knew it, and they succeeded after the bluff made to Col. Slough to surrender, which he refused; they then became very humane, and obtained a cessation of hostilities for twenty four hours to bury the dead, and immediately asked for medicines and blankets for their wounded, which were granted. But neither party kept faith of their plighted word, for the Confederates retreated during the night to Santa Fe, and the Federals made a forced march without a halt as far as Bernal. In their own estimation both sides were very badly whipped, but the Confederates were certain of it, for as soon as they got to Santa Fe, they began without loss of time to get ready to evacuate the territory, and their many and glorious victories were to be forgotten, and not to be accounted for thereafter.

About the 28th of March the Federal troops appeared before Albuquerque, where the Confederates were already in full retreat, and after firing a few shots into the town marched under the cover of night to Tijeras Cañon with the intention of joining Col. G. R. Paul's forces, who were then in pursuit of the Confederates retreating from Santa Fe by the much shorter route from Apache Cañon via Galisteo, San Pedro, San Antonito and Tijeras . . .

The Confederates left Albuquerque on the morning of the 31st of March, and the Federal troops left the mouth of Tijeras Cañon on the road to Peralta at 2 p.m. of the same day, and the result was that while the Confederates were dancing at the house of the late Governor Connelly at Los Pinos, the Federal troops arrived within 1,000 yards of that house the same night, and could have taken the Confederates entirely by surprise if so desired, but Col. Canby was not so disposed. On the 1st day of April we had a little desultory fighting at the ranch of Los Pinos, [but] . . . left the road clear for the Confederates to cross the river opposite Los Lentes during the night, of which they readily availed themselves, and from thence the Confederates marched on the west of the river southward, and the Federals marched in the same direction on the east side of the river. Col. Canby explained that he did not want to take them prisoners because he could not feed them. It was on this trip, on the east side of the Magdalena mountains, that the Confederates buried quite a large amount of their artillery and caissons, and they are there to this day, and there is a gentleman in El Paso, Texas, who knows where they are buried, but will not divulge the hiding place unless he can make terms whereby the trophies may be given part to the city of El Paso and part to the territory of New Mexico.

Now, Mr. Editor, this is written entirely from memory, but it is mainly a correct history of the Confederate occupation of New Mexico, their battles, their bravery, their constancy and gallantry under the most adverse circumstances, battling not only against armed men, as brave as themselves, but with that fell of all diseases, the small pox, and the deadly pneumonia, which carried off many a poor, brave and gallant heart to an unknown, unmarked and untimely grave.

Peace to their ashes.

Yours very truly,
Federal Volunteer.

¹Stanley, F., The Civil War in New Mexico, 1960. Denver: World Press, Inc.

²National Archives Microfilm Publications, "Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the Territory of New Mexico," 46 microfilm rolls and a guide, available at Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico. Gives name, rank, company, age and place of enrollment.

³Meketa, Charles, researcher in military history. Legacy of Honor: The Life of Rafael Chacon, a Nineteenth-Century New Mexican, ed. by Jacqueline Dorgan Meketa. Albuquerque: UNM Press, 1986. Also, Louis Felsenthal, Citizen-Soldier of Territorial New Mexico, Jacqueline Dorgan Meketa. Albuquerque: UNM Press, 1982.

⁴Legacy of Honor, p. 179.

⁵Legacy of Honor, p. 177, 178.

⁶Howard W. Henry, NMGS member, also indexes newspapers for the Genealogy Club of Albuquerque

This is an article from the New Mexico Genealogist 36:3, September 1997. See New Mexico Genealogist for a list of articles in recent issues.